In recent years, it has become more and more popular to equip the sun visors of passenger cars with mirror and illumination units. Such an installation makes the sun visor significantly heavier, which requires increased friction in the hinges of the sun visor and additional spring force in the snap mechanism normally holding the sun visor in the horizontal position. Lighting in the sun visor itself requires wiring to the sun visor itself and this increases complexity and thus the price.
The illumination units arranged in the sun visors cannot be used as general lighting in the vehicle but can only be used to direct light towards the person looking in the mirror.
It is also known to arrange a mirror on a panel which can be swung down from the ceiling of the vehicle. An illumination unit is placed to one side of the panel and comprises light sources both for general lighting and directed lighting. Such an installation is shown in GB B 2 177 980, for example. The illumination unit consists here of, on one hand, a fixed unit which is provided with a screen and is recessed mounted into the ceiling and, on the other hand, an adjustable spotlight arranged adjacent thereto.